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3 min read
Does your child's caregiver or teacher frequently tell you how sweet, quiet, and generally well-behaved your child is...
...only for you to get home and have your child quickly start crying, yelling, or running laps around the room?
You're not alone. This is a very common phenomena.
So common that it now has a term - "after-school restraint collapse", coined by counsellor and educator Andrea Loewen Nair.
After a busy day at daycare or school, children often view their parents as their safe zone, where they can release pent-up emotions. By the end of the day, containing all those big emotions can feel like a bubble that’s ready to burst, especially when they are extra tired.
The behaviour can look different in different children, including:
Being away from home and away from you is tough, especially for infants and toddlers, but for children of any age.
There is also a lot of stimulation, expectations, and rules to follow at school. Both you and your child need decompression activities to navigate through these intense emotions.
At school, children are required to keep their hands to themselves, keep their voice quiet for most of the day, and keep their emotions calm.
None of these are natural behaviours all day long for young children.
Once a child gets into their safe space, you and their home, they feel comfortable enough to release all those pent up feelings.
After a long day at school, children need downtime.
You might think a trip to the neighbourhood park after school is a great idea but be mindful of the fact that your child has likely spent a lot of time with these same children all day.
They’re tired, even if their energy level is telling you otherwise, and they need to be somewhere where expectations are very low. A playground filled with peers still has many expectations - expectations for safety, kindness, respect to others, etc.
What type of activity doesn’t have expectations?
Around approx. 2.5-3 years old, children will begin to show more of an interest in their peers. The sensitive period for social interaction starts at this time and this is when parents will observe their children saying "I want to go to the park and play with my friends."
In this case, it could be ok to go to the park but maybe not every day or they might do better staying for a shorter period. Keep a close eye for changes in behaviour that may mean it’s time to go home.
For a child that's frequently experiencing after-school restraint collapse, consider limiting after school clubs or activities. If you do sign them up for activities, consider the flowing:
If this is something your child is really struggling with, check out this article written by Andrea Loewen Nair > http://www.andrealoewen.ca/7-ways-help-child-handle-school-restraint-collapse/
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